382 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS, CHISWICK. 
seedling Piccotees of any useful or promising 
kind, and with regard to Carnations, there was 
a very pretty bizarre, whose chief fault was a 
deficiency of the dark colour in many of the 
petals — it was otherwise well formed. Of 
plants in the general collections, there were 
many very fine, but the best were the Heaths, 
which were exhibited in high condition. Fuch- 
sias were abundant, but coarse and ugly in 
character, though well grown. Of the seed- 
lings there were none worthy of a prize, though 
one was so honoured. Roses were in profusion, 
and equal to anything we have seen this year 
as to quality. Some of the best growers did their 
best; and there was one tent filled with cut- 
flowers, where the judges made a sad mistake 
in putting second a collection without any 
rare, or choice, or tender flowers, and placing 
one third which contained, comparatively speak- 
ing, nothing but things choice and tender, even 
to the flowers of orchidaceous plants. We 
notice these things only because attention 
should be drawn to that most essential of all 
departments in the management of a Society — 
the judgment exercised in the award of prizes. 
Petunias were shown in considerable variety, 
but there was nothing very striking. Punc- 
tata was an advance as regards colour and 
striping, but followed with several very pretty 
novelties in the veined style. The principal 
that were shown at the Surrey were of this 
description, with only one fault, too little dif- 
ference between them and those we have al- 
ready; still there is an indication of thicker 
petals. Geraniums were shown well, and many 
of the favourites already noticed sustained 
their characters. There was some fine fruit; 
and here we are obliged to find fault with the 
placing of the third and fourth collections. 
The judges are not what they ought to be — 
they are not well acquainted with their duties, 
or they favour some one. Models of Gardens 
were pretty, and the show, upon the whole, 
was the best the Society have had for years. 
The Gardens are in fine order, and the pro- 
prietors have an excellent gardener, whoever 
he is. When we consider the tens of thou- 
sands of persons who assemble there, we are 
astonished that anything can be kept in such 
condition. 
THE HORTICULTURAL SHOWS, CHISWICK. 
Among the many novelties exhibited at 
the Chiswick shows, not yet mentioned, we have 
to notice a few that may be heard of hereafter, 
when new plants are announced for sale. 
For the most part, the new flowers exhibited 
at Chiswick, had been exhibited previously at 
the Royal Botanic Gardens. In Pansies 
there has been nothing very remarkable ; in 
Calceolarias the judges, who, by the bye, both 
here and at the Royal Botanic Society, 
have been exceedingly good-natured, awarded 
two prizes, one for Leopardo, a flower with 
cream-coloured ground, with purple spots or 
dashes ; another, named Alpha, of the ordi- 
nary colours, yellow and brown. The Pelar- 
goniums, independently of those already men- 
tioned, are few ; Paragon, a very good strik- 
ing flower, and good average form, may be 
mentioned as one, and perhaps the only one 
noticed by the Society. Veitch's Fuchsia 
serratifolia, already noticed, was exhibited at 
the Chiswick Gardens, and was highly appre- 
ciated ; so far as we are concerned, we look 
upon it as a plant of extraordinary novelty ; 
the habit is almost new, and the flower very 
different from any other in cultivation. Mr. 
Beck's seedling Geraniums are altogether new, 
and there are so many, that they almost defy 
description. We hardly know which to say 
is best ; and, after the farce of charging five 
guineas and three guineas for new varieties, 
which were only new, and without much re- 
commendation, it is beginning a new system 
to send out far better things for a guinea 
each. There are a dozen which go far before 
anything we have in cultivation. The cha- 
racteristic of the whole is variety, and, indi- 
vidually, they have very strongly developed 
thickness of petal, smoothness of edge, bril- 
liancy of colour, and striking approach to the 
desired form. Those who pretend to grow 
Geraniums should have the set, for they are 
of themselves a brilliant collection : Rosy 
Circle, Arabella, Sunset, Mustee, Marc An- 
thony, Desdemona, Othello, Isabella, Juno, 
Bellona, Margaret, Favorita, Zenobia, are to 
come out in October, the whole thirteen for 
ten guineas ; Aurora and Calypso, quite equal 
to any of them, will not come out the present 
season. We have so often been asked to men- 
tion a few of the best Geraniums, that it is 
quite a relief to find that, for the usual price 
of two new flowers, the whole may be had ; 
and, though we do not pretend they are all 
equally good, we can safely say that those 
which were not the most distinguished, were 
very much better than anything we have seen 
for many seasons ; our readers, therefore, 
may take our recommendation of these as 
pretty nearly the best in cultivation ; and 
may we hope that, instead of cutting back, 
and playing tricks, to form them into large 
bushy specimens, they will grow them well, 
give plenty of air, little or no heat, and be 
content with the two or three trusses of bloom, 
which will come grand, and show the cha- 
racter of the flowers, instead of a parcel of 
starveling blooms, which it has been the 
fashion to show, and thus detract from the 
merit of the plants. We hope and trust the 
Metropolitan Society, which we look up to 
